A landmark regional analysis of the impacts of climate change on Australia’s biodiversity and National Reserve System (NRS) was recently undertaken by CSIRO. It included a series of technical reports and region-based analyses, and a final synthesis report (Dunlop et al. 2012). This document describes the implications for policymakers and was developed with advice from government decision-makers who considered the findings of the synthesis report. It describes the extent of the likely impacts of climate change on biodiversity, and provides guidance for strategic policy directions for protecting biodiversity and managing the NRS into the future.